'A Guide for the Homesick' opens Oct. 6 at Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts

Wednesday

Oct 4, 2017 at 12:01 AMOct 6, 2017 at 4:55 PM

By R. Scott Reedy, Correspondent

As an established actor, director, and playwright, Colman Domingo is used to wearing three hats. This fall, however, the in-demand Domingo should be forgiven if he leaves one of those hats behind in an airport.

He is directing the world premiere of “A Guide for the Homesick” for Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company. And he’s co-writer of the books for the new musicals “Lights Out: Nat ‘King’ Cole,” which opens Oct. 11 at People’s Light and Theatre Company in Malvern, Penn., and “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical,” which begins its world premiere production on Nov. 7 at the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, Calif.

And, as if that weren’t enough, Domingo is also a series regular on “Fear the Walking Dead,” now in its third season on AMC, playing mysterious businessman Victor Strand.

“It’s all a matter of logistics. I’ll be where I am needed most,” said the seemingly indefatigable Domingo by telephone last week while driving from Boston to Providence for an event.

“I’m in Boston now while we rehearse ‘A Guide for the Homesick’ and get it ready to begin previews on Oct. 6. After about the fourth or fifth preview, however, I don’t usually give any more notes to the actors. So on opening night on Oct. 18, I’ll be moving between the back of the house and the lobby listening to how the audience is reacting and probably also trying to hear what they have to say,” says Domingo.

The audience should have plenty to talk about with the new drama by Ken Urban – whose play “A Future Perfect” had its world premiere at Boston’s SpeakEasy Stage Company in January 2015 – being given its own world premiere by the Huntington Theatre Company at the Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts.

“It’s Ken Urban. He’s a very exciting writer who knows how to tell interesting stories, so you know it’s going to be good. It’s a two-hander, too, but with four characters played by two actors, which also makes it interesting,” says Domingo.

The play deals with two strangers, both from Boston, who meet by accident in a rundown Amsterdam hotel. Harvard graduate, young aid worker, and Newton native Jeremy is headed home from East Africa, while Teddy, a Roxbury-born finance worker, is visiting the Netherlands with a friend.

After a passionate encounter, the two men find themselves discussing their common desire for redemption as they reveal private details of their respective pasts and acknowledge their fear that they each betrayed the person who most depended on them.

“It’s a story about two people in a room together trying to work through tragic events and determine just how complicit they each were in the death of another. They wrestle with their consciences and they’re terrified about what might happen,” explains Domingo.

A Tony and Olivier Award nominee for his portrayal of Mr. Bones in the New York and London productions of the Kander and Ebb musical “The Scottsboro Boys,” Domingo has previously appeared at the Huntington as an actor in “Journey to the West” and “Well.” He has also been seen in feature films like “Lincoln,” directed by Steven Spielberg, and “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.”

The Philadelphia native’s plays include “Dot,” “Wild with Happy,” “A Boy and his Soul,” and “Up Jumped Springtime,” while his most recent directing assignments were the 2016 West Coast premiere of Robert O’Hara’s “Barbecue” for the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, and a 2015 Actors Theatre of Louisville production of August Wilson’s “Seven Guitars.”

“Directing is all about throwing a great party. You invite the right guests, serve the right food, play the right music, and then step back,” says Domingo.

“I’ve been blessed to be able to choose my own projects. And I chose ‘A Guide for the Homesick’ for the opportunity to work with Ken. He’s still finding his voice in many ways, but he’s such a gifted writer. And he’s also a very generous and open person. He’s been in the rehearsal room most of the time. Together, we’ve been dissecting the cadaver and finding ways to make it a working vessel.

“There is a lot of trust involved in the relationship between a writer and a director. As a playwright, I know first-hand the courage it takes to trust the team that’s doing your play. You have to do it, though – it’s just part of letting go,” explains Domingo. “I love seeing what other directors find in my work.”

The 47-year-old says he finds pleasure in all three of his career pursuits.

“I like the bounce of the ball. Ultimately, it’s all about telling great stories.”